Theater chair



ylo

PatentedV May 4, 1937 invention i `relates" t0.` thafer chairs or i the lilrepandis equally adapted to` individual V orftothe several chairs of a. group formed asa single unit.` In a theater one'isoften disturbed byaperson passingin fronte!" his chair between the "rows of seats. `Heretofore "the seats ofi'l theater chairs have been pivotally "supported, so'that they maybe swung4 upward against the 3, backsbut in achair of this type', to allow some-` one to pass, the lchair occupant must 'stand iny order to make roomsuiflcienttoallow a person topass between the occupant and the back of the chair` ahead. This is `disturbing t0 the person who must rise; and also'toA persons behind him, whose view is cut off until the occupant of the seatinfronthas again seated himself andrearranged wraps, packages,` etcf My invention eliminatesy the" necessityof a `spectator risingtoallow" someone t'o pass by providing achair seat which is movable relative to* the support. 'I'husfthe'occupant may merely move the seat to the rearfinv order to withdraw his knees suilicientlyto provide passing room in `front of the chair. i y f Y Another object of my invention is to provide atheater chair-'having such -aimovable "seat which! will not `interfere with anyone passingor seated behind the chair for anyposition of the seat, and

i, which has,` no parts projecting from the rear of the chair whentthe seat is moved to the rear;

A further object is toprovide achair seat which is notonly movable or slidabletothe rear, but Whchmay be tilted up andlocked'in arearward position when the chair is `not being. occupied, in `order. to facilitate sweeping and to `remove the:` the aisle when the seat iis.

seat projection from x A still further objectof my invention `isto l `provide such `a theater chair whiclimayhave all.`

the comforts found-in any conventional type ofV theaterychair, `and'fwhich` has.Y plenty of room underneath soV that a person sitting Hbehind,` may stretch forward his legsri` i i Other objects of` my invention of a preferred form of the theater chair.

My invention comprises the novel construction described in thisy speciication,l illustrated in -the accompanying drawing, andi defined in the claims appended to Y this specification. i

` Figure 1 is asectional elevation of" my theater chair seen from the side` with the seat in -the normal `sittingposition.` `Figure` 2 isya similar view showingthe seat slid to arearward position.

- Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of my theater chairs `the seat.

` will more, par-l ticularly'be set forth in the following description `tal position by engagement with the downwardly PATENT OFFICE rassure chair, okinsr Vfrom the front, on the line 3,-3v 'of Figure.4

Figures 4; 5 and 6 are detail viewsoi the seatv construction. V p h In its preferredlform my theater chair includes f 5 'a standard I on which a seat 2 is slidably supsections, and I have shown a front section 6 and a'rear section l hingedly connected at 8. The seat is guided for substantially horizontal linear 15 `movement bypins 6I and 62 moving `inigrooves 60 formed in the standard I at each side of the seat. `Movement of the` seat both forward and rearward is limited by engagement of these pins i with theends of the slots. A spring .or springs 63 connected between the seat and the standard continually Vurges the seat forward into the normal sitting position.

Thehinge 8-'joins side plates 64 of the front section with plates 'lli of the rear section, so that 25 the hinge lies substantially in the upper plane oi With thisconstruction no "gap occurs i between the two sections when one is swung relative Vto the other. This `construction is equally 'l0 may move.

`The operation of the seat will be apparent from the foregoingl description. When the occupant desires to let someone pass he merely slides back, which moves the seat to the rearward position, whereupon the rear section, being unsupported, since ,it has Vslid rearwardly of` the horizontal portion of the slides orsupports 3, swings down` ward relative to the Vfront section and the sup-` port into the position shown in Figure 2. If wraps are thrown over the seat back, they are not dis--` turbed by this rearward movement of the seat, and no disturbanceof persons in the rear is oc casioned bythe necessity of the seat occupant rearranging them. ,Parcels held in the lap are i 50 similarly undisturbed. After the person has passed, the occupant-,may againyslide the seat forwardVassisted by springs 6,3. i The rear section 1f will be brought backinto substantially horizon-` curved rear portions of the slides 3, and will be supported in the plane of the front section by the horizontal portion of this slide.

In order to move the seat out of the way for 5 sweeping and cleaning purposes, or when unoccupied, it may be slid to the rear and tilted upwardly about the pivot pin 6I. The pin 62 will be guided in the slot 65 extending upwardly from the slot 60 and terminating in notches 66. 10 The spring 63, tending to urge the seat forward, will hold it in this upraised position by urging the pin 62 into the notches 66, as seen in Figure 2. A slight backward push on the seat in this position will release the pin, and the seat may then be easily swung down and moved to the normal forward position.

In order to protect the feet and legs of a person sitting behind, a guard 4I may be provided which I have shown formed integral with the back 4, which will extend down below the rear seatsection when it has been swung downward, as seen in Figure 2. A further guard 42 may extendjforward from the guard 4I beneath the rear section when it is swung downward, in order to prevent a foot of the person behind being caught between the rear section of the seat and the chair back,

thus to prevent injury to such person in the rear,

or interference with freeoperation of the seat. What I claim as my invention is:

1. A theater chair or the like comprising a member provided with a ledge, a seat including a front section and a rear section hingedly connected to the front section, said seat being slidable rearwardly and forwardly on said ledge, the

latter, in the forward position of the seat, engaging beneath both sections toimaintain them in a common plane, and being of such .length that, in the rearward positiony of the seat, the rear section is unsupportedand swings downwardly, to decrease the effective length of the seat as a whole.

2. A theater chair or the like comprising a standard having a substantially horizontal slot, a seat slidably supported for movement relative thereto between a forward and a rearward position, and guide pins moving in said slot, and normally restraining the seat for linear movement, and said standard having a further slot therein extending upwardly from the horizontal slot and behind the position assumed by the foremost of said guidepins when the seat is in its forward position, such upwardly extending slot being adapted to guide the foremost of said guide pins for upward movement vwhen the seat is slid to its rearward position, to tilt the seat.

3. The combination of claim 2, and a notch at the terminus of the upwardlyextending slot, wherein the foremost of the guide pins may engage when the seat is tilted upwardly, and a spring urging such pin into the notch, thus to hold the seat in a tilted position.

4. A theater chair or the like comprising a standard, a support, a seat slidably supported on said support for movement between a forward and a rearward position, and including a front `section and a rear section, a hinge interconnecting said two seat sections about which the rear section may swing downward relatively to the support when the seat is slid to such rearward i position, pivot means interengaged between the front seat section and said standard, about which said seat section may swing upward relatively to said support, when the seat is slid to such rear- 15 ward position, and means to maintain said seat in its rearward position, the rear section thereof being swung downwardly and the front section being swung upwardly relatively to said support.

, 5. A theater chair or the like comprising a standard, a support thereon, a seat supported on 5 said support and including a main section and a rear section, a hinge interconnecting said main and rear sections about which the latter may swing downward below the normal plane of the seat into a downwardly swung position, and 10 guard means at the back of said standard disposed behind the rear seat section and extending therebelow when it is in its downwardly swung position.

6. The combination of claim 5, and a member l5 extending forward from the bottom portion of the guard means, beneath the rear seat section when ,it is in its downwardly swung position.

7. The combination of claim 5, and aback fixed to the standard, the guard means being formed 20 as a downward continuation of said back, terminating a substantial distance above the floor level.

8. A theater chair or the like comprising a standard, a seat supported therefrom for sliding movement rearwardly by the chair occupant and forr tilting movement about a transverse axis when in its rearward position, means interengaged between the seat and standard to prevent such tilting movement until the seat is in rearward position, and a single means acting between the seat and the standard to urge the seat. when not tilted, into a forward position, and when tilted, to resist movement of the seat away from 35 such tilted position.

9. A theater chair or the like comprising a seat including a front and a, rear section hingedly connected, and movable from a normal forward position to a rearward retracted position, a single 40 support engaging beneath both sections, at each side, and constituting the sole support for both sections when in the forward position, to maintain them in a common plane, and said support being of such length that, in the rearward posi- 45 tion, the rear section is unsupported and swings downwardly, to decrease the effective length of the seat as a whole.

10. A theater chair or the like comprising a seat including a front and a rear section, a trans- 50 verse hinge connecting such sections and disposed substantially in the plane of the upper surface of the seat, means slidably supporting said seat sections for movement from a forward to a rearward position including a member disposed 55 beneath said seat, and of such length that in the forward position of the seat it supports the rear section and front section in coplanar relation, but in the rear position of the seat it leaves the rear section unsupported, whereby the latter n0 swings on said hinge to decrease the effective length of the seat as a whole, said supporting means including means constraining the front section to sliding movement in its own plane, during movement between such forward and rear 35 positions.

11. A theater chair or the like comprising a seat including a front and a rear section, a transverse hinge connecting such sections, an upholstered cushion on each seat section, a continuous 70 seat cover extending from the rear cushion forwardly over the front section, past the hinge joint therebetween, the axis of such hinge lying substantially in the plane of said seat cover, supporting means including a i member disposed bementto forward grid rearward positions, and of `such length that in the forward position of the seat it supports the rear section and frontsection in coplanar relation, but in the rear position of the seat it leaves the rear section unsupported, whereby the latter swings on said hinge to den 2,078,961 i 3 neath and supporting the seat for sliding movecrease the effective length of the seat as a whole,

said supporting means constraining the front n section to sliding movement in its own plane, during movement between such. forward and rear positions.

LEO A. MELTZER. 

